


Breaking the Bond

by Trisa_Slyne



Category: Mercy Thompson Series - Patricia Briggs
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, lol, read and see why
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:20:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23438350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trisa_Slyne/pseuds/Trisa_Slyne
Summary: Stefan has found a way to break his bond with Mercy and she's all too willing to do whatever it takes to have their friendship be back to normal. But what about the consequences? Set after Night Broken.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14





	Breaking the Bond

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ireallylikedit](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=ireallylikedit).



The distinct smell of chocolate chip cookies permeated throughout the Hauptman house as Mercedes Athena Hauptman finally was able to fulfill her harried need to bake all her stress away. She could walk again, something that had taken considerable time to accomplish. A broken neck was nothing to sniff at but she had managed to recover, though it had taken weeks. 

Mercy was pulling out a tray when her phone rang. She quickly set the tray down on top of the oven and pulled off an oven mitt. She balanced the phone between her cheek and shoulder while she scraped the cookies off the cookie sheet and onto the cooling racks. 

“Hey Stefan,” she greeted. There was silence on the other side, which puzzled her since her friend was usually quick to get to the point of any phone call. 

Stefan was quiet for a long while before speaking. “I have found a way to break our bond.” 

Joy lit up Mercy’s face. She finished moving the cookies over and could hold the phone normally. “Finally! It’s odd enough having Adam in my head and I’m married to him. No offense, Stefan, but I think the only person who should be in my head is my mate.” 

She put a fresh tray of cookies in the oven and set the timer. 

“There will be consequences,” Stefan said, heavily. 

Mercy shrugged then remembered she was on the phone. “I’m sure we can deal with whatever those are.” She set the timer and finally stood back from the oven. “What do we need to do?”

“We need to go to Italy. To meet the Lord of Night.” 

Mercy was glad she was paying Stefan her full attention now. She didn’t know much about Marsilia’s… maker? Lover? But she did know he was very powerful and very dangerous. She thought about how dangerous this trip could be for all involved. Then she thought about the tie to Stefan that she detested. If their friendship was ever to return to normal she really needed to be free of him. 

“Then I guess we’re going to your old home.” 

~*~

_Italy_

It hadn’t taken as much convincing as Mercy had thought it would to talk Adam into going to Italy. He seemed just as eager to separate Stefan and Mercy as Mercy was. All he had needed to do was to arrange things with the local werewolf pack so they could have permission to visit. 

“I can’t help but wonder what Stefan had to do in order to arrange this,” Mercy murmured as she and Adam headed to the designated meetup spot. Stefan had assured Mercy that his old master would be more than happy to do this for them but he refused to tell her at what cost. He only assured her it was a price they were both willing to pay and had encouraged the pair to travel during the day and enjoy their stay. 

Now, they stood before Bonarata, the Master of Marsilia, Mercy wondered once more what was at stake. He glanced between Stefan and Mercy and smiled darkly. Mercy jerked as she felt the Master touch the bond between her and Stefan. As he did, she could feel it, settled around her neck like a fine chain. As she concentrated she could see the chain lead straight to Stefan. Her eyebrows furrowed together as she examined where it led to his chest. 

“Wait,” she murmured. 

The master of the night, Bonarata, laughed mercilessly. Mercy stumbled forward as she felt a tug on the chain pull her toward Bonarata. Her hands scrambled around the invisible chain at her neck as it tightened until it choked her. Adam came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, growling low in his throat at Bonarata. Just as she thought she was about to lose consciousness, the necklace broke. Mercy leaned forward onto her hands and knees, gulping in buckets of air. 

“I love you, Mercedes Thompson,” came Stefan’s voice behind her. It was strained more than usual. Mercy whipped around and stared in horror as Stefan turned to dust. 

“No,” she screamed. She screamed that same word over and over and over as Adam held her. 

~*~

Agony ripped through Marsilia as she awoke from her slumber. 

“Summon Stefan,” she commanded into the darkness. One of her minions would hear and obey. It couldn’t be true. 

She took pains to calm herself. She no longer lived, so she no longer had a racing pulse or labored breathing as she had had when she had nightmares in her youth. But the chill that ran up her spine was genuine. Whatever she had just dreamt had felt so real. She had known more about that stupid woman than she ever wanted to. She attributed this to Wulfe. Wulfe had been prattling on the night before about Mercy, updating Marsilia on Mercy’s status with far too much unneeded information. He had been put out that Mercy refused to play with him or allow him to supersede Stefan’s bond with her. She had wanted to dismiss him, but after the situation with Wulfe almost betraying her, she felt she needed to be sure more than ever before that Stefan was firmly on her side. That meant listening to him whine.

Stefan’s visit for the address must have also had a play in her nightmare.

That had to be it. It couldn’t have been some sort of premonition. And it couldn’t have been something that just happened. 

Still, safer than sorry. 

Stefan appeared beside her and her fear melted away. She regarded him warmly. He still refused to join the seethe but he was willing to come when called and he had promised not to betray her. 

“Swear to me,” she began and he waited. In the past, he would have bowed and sworn whatever it was, even before she told him what it was. But now he waited to hear what she had to saw. She nearly scowled at the fact he was clearly still sulking over her treatment of him, but her expression merely cooled instead. 

“Swear to me you will _never_ tell Mercedes Thompson that Buonorata could break your bond with her.” 

Stefan stared, his expression thoughtful. 

Marsilia met his gaze, unflinchingly. “I could not bear to lose you.” 

Understanding lit his eyes and he bowed. 

“I swear not to let Mercy destroy me,” he responded. 

As he moved to leave, Marsilia couldn’t help but say aloud, “Oh, my darling, she already has.” 

Stefan met her eyes and smiled. He left without another word and Marsilia’s anxiety increased. Destroying Mercy would bring war with the wolves and, more importantly, destroy Stefan. 

She snapped her fingers and dinner was brought to her. As she fed, she wondered if there was anything else she could do to get Stefan back. A horrible nagging feeling inside of her told her while he would never betray her, she had lost him as he had been to her, for the rest of their journey together in this world.

  
  


~*~

Stefan listened in to Mercy as she spent time with her step-daughter, Jesse. Just a moment, but that was enough. She was safe. Marsilia had not decided to attempt to kill Mercy over a nightmare. He mused that Marsilia clearly didn’t understand Mercy at all. Because, while Mercy desired and valued freedom above most things, she didn’t value it over the lives of those she cared about. And she cared about Stefan greatly, more than she would admit to anyone, even herself. His death would hurt her greatly and he never planned to hurt her. So of course he wouldn’t be sacrificing his life to dissolve their bond. Mercy’s confusion, which he felt every time she became aware of the bond, was better than Mercy’s mourning, even if he wouldn’t be alive to experience it. Knowing that his death would hurt her had been one of the many reasons he took care in his fights now. He no longer lived until he didn’t. 

He shook his head. Marsilia couldn’t understand something like that. He was glad to have Mercy in his life, even knowing how much anguish that brought. Without her, he would still be tied to Marsilia, not even understanding how poor it made his life. Mercy gave him, a deadman, life. He would cherish every moment he had with her until the day he turned to dust. 

**Author's Note:**

> Did I getcha? I wrote this a few months ago to troll my beta who got worried I would kill off Stefan in a different fic while we were brainstorming ideas… so I couldn’t help but publish this on April Fools (the April Fools of all April Fools where nothing is more surprising than reality right now and tbh idk why it says April 2 on the post but whatever). I don’t own any of these characters so please don’t sue me!


End file.
